This mixed media collage, “evening rays,” is 11×14, made with acrylic paint, paper, pen and glue on cradled wood. © Annette Makino 2025
Happy Thanksgiving! Isn’t is amazing that we have a whole holiday dedicated to gratitude? (With a side of cranberry sauce.) There’s so much I’m grateful for, but a key element is the sense of purpose I gain from my Makino Studios work. It turns out that being an artist and poet doesn’t bring in the big bucks—who knew?! But unlike hedge fund managers, I get to regularly hear from people how much my offerings touch them.
This weekend a friend told me that one of my cards was perfect for a difficult situation: her brother is in his last weeks in hospice. Another wrote that she was so moved by a poem that she sent it on to family and friends. And there are hundreds of people who make a point of giving my haiku calendar to friends, family, book club members, caregivers and coworkers every year. It means so much to have that impact as an artist and poet. Your support helps my dreams take wing, so thank you all!
Today I’m sharing my process for the mixed media collage of a blue heron shown above. This haiga (art + haiku) appears in my 2026 mini-calendar, with a poem inspired by a late afternoon on the Klamath River:
evening rays
the driftwood stick
spreads its wings
There is a card version reading “may your dreams take wing.” Enjoy this season of gratitude!
I rolled blue paint on my gel press, created texture with a stiff, dry paintbrush, then placed and smoothed a sheet of rice paper on top.
One of my reference images for the art helped guide my choices of colors and shapes.
I needed to make collage papers that could work for the heron wings. I painted the water right on the wood panel with blue, black and silver acrylics.
My studio in process as I decided which papers to use.
Considering where to place the heron—and soon realizing it looked way too chubby!
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Makino Studios News
Thanksgiving sale: Use promo code THANKS25 at checkout for 15% off everything in the Makino Studios shop except original art. Good for first-class shipping within the U.S. One promo code per order. Sale ends at midnight this Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025.
Arcata Holiday Craft Market: Featuring food, music, and local vendors, this festive fair takes place 10 to 5 on Saturday, Dec. 13 and 10 to 4 Sunday, Dec. 14 at the Arcata Community Center in Arcata, CA. Look for the Makino Studios booth on the lefthand side of the main room. This will be my only in-person event this season. Admission is a $2 donation benefiting the Youth Development Scholarship Fund.
Made in Humboldt fair: The “Made in Humboldt” event at Pierson Garden Shop in Eureka, CA runs through Dec. 24. There are 250 local vendors; Makino Studios items include my 2026 calendars, books, prints and boxed notecards.
2026 mini-calendars: Small calendars of art and haiku make great holiday gifts! They feature 12 colorful Asian-inspired collages with my original haiku. $12 each.
Water and Stone: My award-winning book of art and haiku includes 50 watercolor paintings with my original poems. Cost is $25. You can find it online here, and I will sign it on request—just send me an email after you order.
Cards: Holiday, birthday, sympathy or everyday… right now there are more than 80 Makino Studios card designs to choose from. I also have ten different notecard sets, including several holiday designs.
Art prints: Blake’s Books in McKinleyville, CA carries a selection of my matted art prints, ready for gifting. They are among the local stores that carry my books, calendars, notecards and single cards.
Holiday shipping: The US Postal Service advises that to ensure that packages arrive by Dec. 25, they should be shipped by Dec. 17.
Thanks: I appreciate all the responses on my last post, “Three Wayfarers in Japan,” and love it when someone takes the time to write. I read and answer every message. You can read past posts on my blog.
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Credit: The haiku “evening rays” was first published in Bee Here Now: The Haiku Foundation Volunteer Anthology 2024